INSIDE SCOOP

CONRAD’S CONFECTIONERY 107 WESTWOOD AVE, WESTWOOD, NJ 07675 • 201-664-2895 • CONRADS1928.COM

OPEN YEAR ROUND – ICE CREAM MAYTHRU SEPTEMBER

It’s amazing when things have been around for so many years, in an area that you frequent, but yet you have never stopped in. Such was the case with this month’s Inside Scoop. I was having lunch with my sister in Westwood, NJ. After lunch, we took a little stroll around this cute little town with many shops to keep one entertained. We walked past Conrad’s and she said, ‘Oh, you must have been here before.’ I looked at the store front and said, ‘Nope, never in my life.’ She was amazed, as Conrad’s has been satisfying people’s sweet tooths since 1928.

Fred Conrad, born in South Africa, moved to the United States in 1922 where he began his confectionery trade in Hoboken, NJ. He took courses in NYC to further his chocolate-making process and opened his own shop in Oradell, which he thought would be a no-brainer as it was the end of the train line from NYC. He found that moving to Westwood, where his true clientele resided, was in his best interest so, when nances were better, he moved there in 1935.

At the time there were nine soda fountains serving ice cream sodas and sundaes, along with every drug and stationery store making egg creams and malteds. To move Conrad’s to the top of the list, Fred married the soda fountain model with his homemade candy business. This brought in the school kids for an after-school treat as well as the couples sharing a booth in the back of the shop.

When Fred Conrad retired in 1960, his long-time employee Jim Pouletsos, along with his partner Kenny Fournier, bought the business, with Pouletsos buying Fournier out in 1979. This was the rst of three generations to run Conrad’s, with JJ Krachtus, Jim’s grandson, now holding the reigns. Throughout these years the same recipes and basic ingredients have remained, while technology has improved the process. Refrigeration in the 1930’s could not complete the ice cream freezing process, so the old-fashioned ice and salt system was employed. In 1938, Conrad purchased a batch freezer, making life much easier, as toting 10-12 blocks of ice to the ice crusher was a bit of a chore. Pouletsos taught his son-in-law, John, who taught his son, JJ Krachtus, using the same batch method as Fred did to make his homemade ice cream. Only the nest ingredients are used, with chocolate chips, nuts and fruit mixed in by hand while the ice cream is still soft. The high butterfat content gives Conrad’s ice cream its richness and superior taste. During our visit, the inside seating was not available, but they have an excellent walk-up window which certainly serves its purpose. There were 20 avors from which to choose, along with an incredible selection of toppings and ways to mix and match your choices: cups, cones, sundaes and such. Some of the top picks (IMHO) were Coffee, Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Maple Walnut and Salted Caramel Chip but I had to go for the odd ball – Folk Song Mule: Peanut Butter ice cream with graham crackers and chocolate chips. Along with their homemade hard ice cream, the menu includes their Sweets & Treats, a selection of ice cream sandwiches, fresh fruit bars and Love Bars, a rotating avor variety of ice cream coated with a dark chocolate shell. This day the temptations were vanilla, mint, raspberry and coffee. Oh, for the want of a freezer bag!

BACKROADS • DECEMBER 2021

While we were here for their ice cream, Conrad’s is famous for their confections. Each year, when autumn rolls around and the air turns nippy, the candy process begins, starting with Halloween candy and rolling through to Easter bunnies. While innovations have certainly been made in the candy-making industry, Conrad’s continues in the old-fashioned ways. 50-pound cases of 10-pound blocks of solid chocolate are regularly delivered from Merckens Mill in Massachusetts. 2.5 tons of chocolate are used for Easter alone! The basement is the holy ground for this confectionery construction, where the stainless steel melter transforms those blocks into liquid which then goes into the over 100 antique tin molds ranging from Easter bunnies to the leg lamp from A Christmas Story. The nished molds are hand decorated and individually wrapped. In addition to the molded chocolates, there are large assortments such as caramels, jellies, creams, turtles sold by the pound, with the ‘insides’ all handmade from the nest ingredients.

Topping off this old-timey tradition is the making of Candy Canes. Every year, the confection furnace, a single gas burner holding an antique copper bowl, is red up to cook the mixture of sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar and water. The cooked mixture is the poured onto an oiled stainless-steel table with pipes underneath lled with cold water cool the candy. The process is time-consuming but done with love (you can read the whole story on their website).

True candy lovers can taste the difference between those tiny cellophanewrapped imposters and these hand-pulled canes. It is why Conrad’s has become a holiday tradition for generations of customers who accept no less than the best. While the ice cream window is only open from May thru September, you can still bring home pints of homemade ice cream as well as their individually wrapped Sweets & Treats year-round. But do indulge in their chocolate should you stop by – you’d be missing out on some of the best chocolates you have ever tasted. Enjoy your visit to Westwood! See you on the road. ,